Soul to Squeeze
by Trollface Mastah
Summary: Greg Universe has only had one love in his life and she has long since vanished from the plane of existance. Recently, however, Greg has met the newest resident of Beach City. Now, Greg just might have another shot at shot at love. Rated T for future chapters.
1. It's a Wash

**I do not own Steven Universe. The show and its characters are property of Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.**

"Hey Steven, pass the sponge! I missed a spot on the hubcap," Greg Universe called to his young son, the ever plucky Steven Universe.

"Here it comes!" shouted Steven as he threw the soaking wet sponge to his father. However the sponge was thrown too high and hit Greg square in the face!

"Oops! Sorry about that dad!" Steven apologized loudly. However, rather than get angry, Greg simply gave a hearty chuckle, signaling no offense was taken. "It's alright Steven! Like I always say; if every pork chop were perfect…" "We wouldn't have hotdogs!" finished Steven jubilantly. The father and son laughed as they finished washing Mayor Dewey's electoral van.

Mayor Dewey's re-election was coming up soon and the politician wanted to make sure that his "victory vehicle" was prepped up for the big day. As such, he asked Greg to do a final scrub down in exchange for "political favors". And of course, Steven wanted to help his old man out in any way he could. And so the two spent the entire afternoon together, joking around and washing Mayor Dewey's van.

"Well, I believe our job here is done Steve-O," proclaimed Greg proudly as he inspected their handiwork one last time. "It looks beautiful! Kind of like a diamond after you've cleaned it up!" Steven said, admiring the van in his own "Steven-y" way.

As Greg put the sponges away, Steven suddenly gasped, "Oh no! I can't believe I forgot!" Greg, taking note of his son's distressed state, asked "What is it Steven? What did you forget?" Steven began searching for his cheeseburger backpack and said hurriedly, "I forgot that I was supposed to meet Connie at the arcade half an hour ago! We should've been playing _Lakewood Plaza Turbo_ by now! Oh, I hope she's still there!" After a few panicked minutes, Steven found his trusty cheeseburger backpack. "Well don't keep her waiting! Go on to the arcade, I've got everything covered here," Greg assured.

"Thanks dad! See you tomorrow!" and with that, Steven bolted from the carwash towards the Funland Arcade. "Later gator!" Greg shouted after Steven. Greg smiled as he thought about Steven running to Connie in time for their date. 'Kids really do grow up fast,' Greg thought to himself wistfully. Greg went back putting the sponges with a frown growing on his face. "If only we were all so lucky," Greg sighed.

Greg had to face the cold hard truth about his life; he was lonely. Ever since Rose Quartz, his wife and mother to his child, gave up her physical form to bring Steven into the world, Greg was nothing more than a widow. He had no close friends to speak of and his romantic life was as dead as disco. His only relative was Steven and even then, as inheritor of Rose's gem, Steven had to spend a good deal of time training with the Crystal Gems, Beach City's resident mystical guardians that were once led by Rose before her passing. Often, Greg was able to push these thoughts of loneliness to the back of his head and get through his day with a smile. Other times, however, he would lie awake in his van at the dead of night, wondering if he would end up dying alone and afraid. These thoughts would often frighten Greg to the point of tears. Thankfully, those thoughts were not very frequent, at least not anymore.

After Greg finished putting the sponges away, he was about wrap up the hose, when he saw a car drive up into the carwash. But this was no ordinary car. When Greg first saw the vehicle, he thought it was some sort of muck monster with glowing, round eyes! The fact that real monsters are constantly running around in Beach City did _not _help matters for Greg. Thankfully, the "eyes" shut off and a woman emerged from a side door, revealing that the monster was nothing more than an automobile, albeit one covered in some serious gunk.

"Hey, are you still open?" called the woman from her filthy car. The woman was a foot shorter than Greg and on the plump side, though not in any exaggerated way. She wore small, rectangular horn-rimmed glasses on her chubby face and had her curly strawberry blonde done up in a red bandana, although it still flowed a little bit past her freckled shoulders. She was clad in a vermillion sundress and tan sandals and appeared to be around the same age as Greg. "Yup," Greg replied, "And from the looks of it, you're in serious need of a wash!"

The woman gave a light laugh, "Yeah, funny story. One minute I'm driving along the road, just minding my own business. Then, out of nowhere, my car got covered in several inches of mud! I'm still trying figure out this happened."

"You must be new around here," Greg said, directed the woman to the power washer. She complied, driving her vehicle into the power washer. After she exited her car, Greg pushed some buttons and her car began its wash.

Greg continued with his idle chat with the newcomer, "As I was saying, this town may look like a sleepy little tourist trap, but trust me when I say that we've got a few tricks up our sleeve."

The woman crossed her arms with a smile and said, "I'll say. I just came from San Francisco a couple of days ago. I was getting familiar with the town when my car got caked with sludge. Nice to know this place isn't some boring beach town."

Greg feigned offense and replied, "Why madam, I'll have you that this 'boring beach town' has one of the best boardwalks around!"

"Hmm, I've heard about the boardwalk. Tell me Mr. Beach City, what makes this boardwalk of yours so great?" asked Beach City's newest resident, more out of curiosity than any smugness.

"Well, if you must know, the Beach City boardwalk has Funland, the greatest amusement park hands down. I dare you to find someplace better!"

"Well I'm sold!" the woman replied happily. "I've always been a sucker for amusement parks!"

"Good to hear! It's always nice to meet a fellow amusement park enthusiast," the man beamed earnestly. "By the way, I'm not 'Mr. Beach City'. The name's Greg Universe," Greg said, extending his hand as a warm welcome to Beach City's newcomer.

"I'm Odette," the woman said, taking Greg's hand and shaking it good-heartedly.

"Nice name. So what's a San Francisco native doing in Beach City?"

"Well, I just got kind of tired of the hustle and bustle of the big city life. I figured a smaller town might do me some good. Apparently, there are surprises around every corner, even in small towns."

"Amen to the surprises part. Although without some of the weirder stuff going, Beach City is a pretty peaceful place to settle down. You've got the beach of course, the boardwalk if you're feeling adventurous, and then there's the food."

Odette interest piqued when Greg mentioned food. "What kind of food?"

"Well, it's mainly beach must-haves, like French fries and hotdogs. But our doughnuts are to die for!"

"Just what I wanted to hear," Odette said. "When it comes to sweet stuff, I can't be beat!"

Greg began finding more middle ground with the newcomer. "Oh, you've got a sweet tooth, do you?"

Odette nodded, "Although, when it comes to sweets, nothing beats watermelon. I can't get enough of that melon!"

"I love watermelon!" Greg replied genuinely. "Nothing beats a cold slice of melon on a hot summer day. Problem is, they're not in season here that often, so it really is a rare treat."

"Lucky for you, I just so happen to be planning on planting a watermelon patch. Prepare for year-round watermelon available for the summer Mr. Universe."

"Nice. And speaking of summer, guess what time of the year Beach City comes alive?"

"How fitting. Let me guess, there's picnics and fireworks galore?" asked Odette.

"It is the most beautiful season in Beach City. You can't afford to miss it," Greg said, smiling at the prospect of summertime in Beach City. And Greg knew Odette felt the same way, judging from the small grin on her face.

Just then, a loud buzz rang throughout the carwash, signaling that Odette's car was done being washed. "Oh hey, my car's ready!" Odette said, somewhat surprised at how little time she actually spent.

"Right. Hang on a sec," Greg said as he reluctantly pushed the conveyor button. It had been awhile since had an adult conversation with another person, so it was understandable that he hated seeing Odette go.

Out of the power washer came Odette's car, a sky blue Volkswagen Beetle. "Nice job cleaning it up. Now, how much is this going to cost me?" asked Odette.

"Oh, there's no charge. This wash is on me," Greg replied, raising his hand up to assure her there was no cost to the wash.

"What? No, please Greg, it's the least I could do for taking up your time. Are we talking fifty bucks, fifty five?" insisted Odette.

"No, no. None of my time was wasted at all," reassured Greg, "To tell the truth, it was…nice talking with you." Greg chuckled nervously and blushed a little upon saying that. "Just consider this as a welcoming gift from me to you."

"Well…if it's alright with you. Still, I feel bad about leaving you empty handed," Odette said. She thought for a moment and got an idea. "Can wait here a sec?" she asked. "Um, sure," Greg replied.

With that, Odette bolted to her car and rummaged around a bit. A few seconds later, she came back with a small piece of white paper in her hand.

"I present, your compensation," Odette said as she handed Greg the piece of paper. On paper was a phone number written in blue ink.

"Is this…your number?" asked Greg bashfully, his blush reddening.

"What else would it be? I was thinking maybe we could go for coffee tomorrow and then you could show me around town. Sound good to you?" she asked, offering Greg a warm smile.

"Um…yeah, sure! How's one o'clock for you?" Greg blurted out.

"It's alright for me. So, I'll be seeing you there then," Odette bid as she walked to her Beetle.

"Alright, see you there! Oh, and welcome to Beach City!" Greg practically yelled. Odette gave a wave of goodbye and took off, leaving Greg alone, but deliriously happy.

Once Odette left the carwash, Greg ran into his van and started to prepare for tomorrow. He put aside some decent looking clothes, set his alarm clock for an early time, and took a shower using the water hose. Once he was bathed, Greg double checked that was in order for tomorrow and once he was satisfied with everything, promptly went to bed. Greg final thought before falling completely asleep, was how lucky he was to be alive.


	2. Welcome to My Life

**I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, with the exception of the OC Odette Goodman. All rights go to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.**

The next morning, an alarm went off in Greg Universe's van. Bolting upright, Greg slammed his alarm clock off and started getting ready for today. 'I can't believe I'm going out for coffee with a _woman_! Isn't that what other people would call a date? It's been so long,' Greg thought to himself excitedly as he washed himself with the hose.

After bathing himself thoroughly for the second time since yesterday, Greg put on apink polo shirt, chinos, and a pair of nice white sneakers he got for his birthday. They were still good as new, even after all these months.

Greg brushed his teeth, combed what "little" remained of his hair, and put on a decent amount of cologne. The man gave one final look in the mirror and was satisfied with what he saw. Finally, Greg worked up all the courage he had and, using the number he was given, called up Odette.

As the phone rang, Greg couldn't help but feel butterflies float around in his stomach. Rose was the only woman he had ever been with and when she left the physical plane of existence, Greg never took up dating. Now that a woman-Odette, he reminded himself-invited him to coffee, he was understandably nervous. 'I hope I don't screw this up,' Greg thought feverishly.

Finally, after the third ring, a perky female voice answered, "Hello?"

Frozen for a second, Greg quickly answered, "Oh, uh…hey Odette! Listen, I w-wanted to take you up on your offer for coffee. You know, f-from yesterday?" Greg face palmed at his awkwardness. He was _really_ out of touch with the dating scene.

"Well, do you know any good coffee places around here?" Odette asked, apparently unfazed by Greg's bashfulness.

"W-well, I was thinking that we could try that coffee shop on Main Street. Maybe you've passed by it?" Greg asked a bit too enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I've seen it a couple of times before. It's not that far from where I live actually," Odette replied.

"Great! So, should we head on down there?" asked Greg.

"Sure! I should be there in less than five minutes. Meet you there?"

"See you there!" replied Greg and with that, Odette hung up.

Once their conversation was over, Greg let out a huge sigh of relief. "I need to work on talking to women," Greg said aloud. Nevertheless, Greg was ecstatic Odette agreed to get some coffee with him.

And with that, Greg got into his van, started up the engine, and drove to the coffee shop. On the drive over there, a strange feeling overcame Greg. He couldn't put his finger, but he felt a mad, nagging feeling coming from the back of his head. Too excited to care, he pushed the odd feeling to the back of his mind and drove onward.

Upon arriving Main Street, Greg Universe saw a light blue Beetle parked in front of Café's Café, Beach City best, and only, coffee shop. Giddy and nervous at the same time, Greg parked his van, took the key out of the ignition, and stepped out of his van.

Walking to the shop's front door, Greg inhaled deeply and thought to himself 'C'mon Greg, you can do this!' With his courage at its peak, Greg walked through the door.

Inside the shop, he spotted Odette waving at him from the counter. She was wearing a short sleeved, blue sundress, a violet bandana, and a wonderful smile. Waving back, Greg went up and took the seat next to her.

"How's it going Greg?" greeted Odette.

"Oh…I'm doing just peachy," he replied. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem. I've actually wanted to visit some of the shops around here. They look so…quaint," Odette said.

"Then you'll _love_ my shop!" called a voice from behind the counter. It was Marron Café, owner of the coffee shop.

"Hey there Marron," greeted Greg.

"Hola Greg. What'll you two be having?"

Greg and Odette decided on classic black coffee. As Marron went to prepare their drinks, the two decided to strike up a conversation.

"So Greg, mind if I ask about that sweet looking van?" Odette inquired, pointing to the Mr. Universe van behind the big shop window.

Greg blushed a little and said, "Oh that old thing. It's just a little leftover from my old one-man band days."

"Wait you were in a one-man band?" Odette asked.

"Yeah, but it never really went anywhere. I managed to hold one concert before calling it quits."

"Still, one concert is a pretty big accomplishment," Odette replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened after that one concert?"

Greg was silent for a moment, pondering how to answer that question. Noticing his silence Odette wondered if she said the wrong thing. However, their moment of silence was cut short when a loud crash boomed from outside.

"What the hell was that?" cried out a startled Odette.

"Sounded like it was coming from outside," said Greg, worry growing in his gut. 'Something tells me magic is happening,' Greg thought nervously.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Odette got up from her seat and rushed outside. "Hey wait up!" called Greg as he trailed behind her.

Outside of the café, Odette and Greg could not believe their eyes. A giant mud monster lay in the middle of Main Street, defeated. Surrounding the mud monster were the Crystal Gems; Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and of course, Steven Universe.

"All right, one more strike and we should be done here," said Pearl, the pale, thin Gem wearing what resembled a ballerina's ensemble.

Using the glaive spear in her hands, Pearl jabbed the weapon into the creature's side. In seconds, the mud giant vanished, leaving only a small gem behind. Garnet, the leader of the Gems walked up and bubbled up the gem, while Pearl wiped the mud off her spear with a handkerchief, muttering "Disgusting" under her breath.

"Uh…what am I seeing here?" asked the Beach City newcomer, not sure what to make of the scene before her.

Greg sighed and responded, "Remember how I told you Beach City has a few tricks up our sleeves? You're looking at our tricks."

Steven, taking notice of his father, got excited and yelled, "Hey dad!"

"Did he say dad?" Odette said, turning to Greg. The man smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeeaahh, I have a son."

The younger Universe ran up to his father and gave him a big hug. "Hey there Steve-O," greeted Greg, hugging his son back. Seeing the woman next to Greg, Steven turned to face the woman and said, "Oh, hey there! I'm Steven!"

"Hi, I'm Odette," the woman responded, a bit overwhelmed by the whole Crystal Gem scene. "Is this normal for you?" asked Odette.

"Wow. You must be new here," Amethyst, the short, purple Gem, stated as she walked up to the trio. "Everyone in town knows who we are!"

"Indeed. I haven't seen you around before," Garnet spoke, with Pearl beside her.

"As a m-matter of fact, I c-came down h-here a few days ago," stammered Odette. She was a bit intimidated seeing the magical beings up close.

Sensing the newcomer's discomfort, Pearl assured, "Oh there's no reason to be alarmed. We are Crystal Gems, guardians of this city. I'm Pearl. This here is Garnet our leader and those are Steven and Amethyst."

"Nice to meet you all," Odette said. "So, you say you're magic guardians?"

"Yeah we are! We use our magic powers to fight monsters and save the city! I mean-I'm not magic yet, but I'm getting there," Steven exclaimed all at once.

"In other words, we're pretty damn awesome," declared Amethyst proudly, puffing out her chest. "Language!" scolded Pearl.

"Cool," said Odette, feeling a bit more comfortable around the mystical beings. "Also, thanks for taking down that mud monster. That bastard trashed my car yesterday!"

"Tell me about it!" Steven chimed in, nodding his head knowingly. "Thanks to him, the arcade was covered in muck! I had to cancel some plans I made with my friend Connie."

"Sorry to hear that bud," Greg said, knowing how much hanging out with Connie meant for Steven.

The young lad, however, only grinned ear to ear in his usual cheery fashion. "That's alright. Connie and I will make other plans. And they'll be way better than just hanging out the arcade."

Garnet proceeded to speak up, "I hate to interrupt, but we must be leaving now. I sense a disturbance somewhere in the temple."

Saying their goodbyes, the Crystal Gems headed for home. But before leaving, Steven bid a few farewells, "See you later dad! Oh, and welcome to Beach City Odette. Hope you like it here!" Then, the Universe boy bounded off with the other Gems.

"Bye Steven!" Greg called out to his son. Turning to Odette, Greg said, "So…should we head back inside? Our coffee should be done already." With that, the two went inside and took their seats, where their coffee was served.

"I see you met our magic superhero team," Marron stated, having seen everything from the café's window. Odette took a sip from her coffee and replied, "They're something alright. But if they keep the city safe, then who am I to judge? To tell the truth, they seem really cool. Especially Steven."

Greg drank from his mug and said, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about my Steven, would you?"

"The very same. I tell you, that kid is so sweet and cheerful! A real _gem_ I tell you!" Odette chuckled a bit at her corny joke. "Oh you," Marron snickered as she left to attend to other customers.

"Yup, my boy sure is special," Greg, glad that Odette enjoyed Steven as much as he did. Just like always, Steven was his good old self and made a new friend.

"One thing though," Odette asked, puzzled, "does Steven live with the Gems? From what I saw, he doesn't seem to live with you."

"Oh," Greg responded, suddenly downtrodden. "Yeah, I arranged for Steven to live with the Gems. It's been that way ever since my wife passed on."

"Oh my God," whispered Odette. "Greg, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…"

"It's alright, really," Greg sighed. "Her name was Rose Quartz and she was a Crystal Gem, just like the ones you saw. We met at my one concert and it was…love at first sight. We dated a while and eventually we married. Then, Rose was pregnant with Steven and she…she had to give up her physical form so she could bring Steven into the world."

Greg swallowed a lump in his throat as he brought old, painful memories of his late wife. "I couldn't take care of Steven all by himself, so I made an arrangement with the Gems to help raise him. And ever since then, Steven's been in good hands. Meanwhile, I've been working at a car wash and living in that 'sweet looking' van of mine. Basically, that's my who life in a nutshell. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

However, Greg only felt a hand on top of his. He turned to see Odette with tears in her eyes. "Greg, I don't think you're pathetic. Trust me when I say you're better than you think you are," Odette said soothingly.

"Name one thing," scoffed Greg. Deep down, he heard people call him a slob and a wash out. Most of the time, he just let them say what they wanted and went about his day. Still, words cut deep.

"Greg," Odette began, "in all my life, I have never met a man so welcoming. You were the first to introduce to this city; hell, you were the first person I've had a conversation since I came to this city. You're sweet and kind and from I could tell, you're a wonderful father. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Even though I live in a van?"

"Greg, for God's sake, some people have lived in tents!" Odette replied incredulously. "My point is nobody is perfect; you just have to see the good qualities in others."

Greg, with lifted spirits, smiled and replied, "Yeah, it's like I always say; If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs."

Odette stared at Greg for a second and then started giggling goodheartedly. "Greg, where do you get these wise sayings of yours?" Greg, fully uplifted, joined in on the laughter, much to the confusion of the other coffee house patrons. The rest of the afternoon, Odette and Greg drank coffee and talked about what there was to look forward to in Beach City.

**Sorry about the wait. My life has been **_**busy**_**! Still, that is no excuse. I ask that you read and review the second chapter in this ambitious fanfiction of mine! Sincerely, Trollface Mastah**


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